Malting apparatus.



No. 685.904. Patented Nev. 5, I901.

I B. BERG.

MALTING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

n I V T No. 685,904. Patented Nov. 5, l90l.

B. BERG.

MALTING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Nu Model.)

N-ITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

BERNARD BERG, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

MALTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 685,904, datedNovember 5, 1901.

Application filed November 10, 1900. Serial No. 36,095. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERNARD BERG, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Malting Apparatus; and I hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for thepreparation of malt and the like.

It consists of an air-heating furnace, means for transmitting the airthus heated and preventing the passage of soot and dust, one or morechambers within which the malt is contained, means for agitating themalt therein, means for delivering the heated air into said chambers, amoistening and cooling apparatus, and means for delivering the airtherefrom into the chamber.

My invention also comprises details of con struction, which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which--Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through the apparatus. Fig. 2is a lateral section on line a: m of Fig. l.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus by which maltemployed for brewing and the like can be rapidly germinated and thegermination afterward checked. Of the four operationsof malting,consisting of steeping, couching, flooring, and kiln-drying, thisinvention is especially designed to carry out the lastthree.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, A is a furnace or heater of anysuitable description, and by means of this furnace air is heated. Theair is admitted through suitable gates, valves, or passages to enter thefurnace, the latter being contained within an exterior structure, as 2,and the air which is heated arises through the top of the furnace. Abovethe furnace is supported a hood 3, into which the body of air as itrises will pass, and this hood serves to check any dust or soot whichmay arise with the air and cause it to be deposited. The periphery ofthe hood 3 is located a short distance from the interior of the chamber2, and this chamber is con-.

nected by a pipe at with an air-forcing apparatus 5. This apparatuswithdraws the air from the heating-chamber and delivers it into a pipeor passage 6 of sufficient capacity, and the air thus heated is takenfrom this passage at intervals by conducting-passages 7. These passagesconnect with horizontallysupported central chambers 8. Through the upperportions of the chamber extends a perforated pipe 8. At a sufficientdistance apart and fixed to these chambers are disks 9, which form theheads of revoluble cylinders. These cylinders or casings 10 have flanges11 at the ends, which extend inwardly and overlap the disk 9, so as toform joints therewith. The disks are stationary with the chamber 8, andthe cylinders or casings 10 are mounted upon pulleys or rollers 12,which support them in their relative positions with the stationary disksand at the same time allow power to be applied to revolve the cylinders.These cylinders have openings through which the material to be malted isintroduced, and the cylinders are thus charged. The outside surfaces ofthese cylinders have slits made through them, as shown at 13, for

the free passage of air, but without allowing the material to pass.

The interior surfaces of the cylinders have flanges or lifters 14, soarranged that as the cylinders are revolved these lifters will take up aportion of the material, carryit up to the top, and then spread it out,so that it falls downwardly upon the central chamber 8, and this chamberis also perforated with small holes or slits, as shown at 15, for theescape of the air which has been admitted into the cylinder. Thus thematerial falling through the air upon this cylinder is subdivided andloosened up, so that the heated air can pass through the whole mass.

In order to prevent the material from adhering together in balls ormasses, I have shown rakes or teeth, as at 16, fixed to a bar 17, whichextends from end to end between the disks 9, and these teeth extenddownwardly from the supporting-bar to near the top of the centralchamber 8. The material is continually passed between these teeth, andthus broken up and prevented from forming masses. It is necessary that acertain tem* perature be maintained-within these chambers until themoist material has been sprouted or germinated, after which the processis changing the temperature within the chamhers, I have shown asupplemental chamber 18, having an air-forcing mechanism 19, by whichair is introduced. This air is carried through any cooling material. Ifan ice or refrigerating machine is available, coils, as at 20, may beemployed to cool the air. If this is not available, the air may bepassed through ice supported upon perforated floors, as at 21, and thuscooled and moistened. The air from this passes through a main 22, havingpassages 23 leading therefrom to opposite ends of each of the chambers18. Valves, as at 2-t, control the supply of heated air, and valves at24: control the supply of the cold air to this chamber, and the air maybe mixed within the chamber, as desired,to produce any requiredtemperature. The moist and properly-tempered air is first introduceduntil the process of germination has reached the desired point. Thecooler air is then cut off and hot air is introduced to arrest thegermination and dry the malt to complete the operation.

In order to properly moisten the air which is introduced through thepassages 23, I have shown spray-pipes 25, through which water may beinjected with the air. This provides the necessary moisture to germinatethe grain, and the temperature is regulated by mixing the hot and coldair from the different sources of supply.

When the grain has been properly germinated or sprouted and thegermination arrested by the drying-heat afterward applied, the malt isready for ordinary use; but it has been found diflicult to keep it orship it on account of the tendency to reabsorb moisture. The object ofthe steam-pipe S is to allow the surface of the malt to beslightlymoistened after it has been dried and then the hot air again turned onto dry this surface moisture, and this formsa sort of crust upon theoutside of the malt which has proved very effective in preventing thisreabsorption of moisture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a malting-drum and a cylinder located centrallytherein, ot' a hot-air main and branches therefrom exterior to the drumand one leading to each end of said drum, and valves in said brancheswhereby the air may be admitted to one or both ends of the drums or thesupply of hot air to cylinder entirely out off.

2. The combination with a malting-drnm and a cylinder located centrallytherein, of a cold-air main and branches therefrom exterior to the drumand one leading to each end of the cylinder, and valves in said brancheswhereby the cold air maybe admitted to one or both ends of the cylinder,or the cold-air supply cut off.

3. The combination with a malting-drum, and a cylinder located centrallytherein, of a hot-air main, a cold-air main, branches from each main,said branches being exterior to the drum and leading to both ends of thecylinder, and valves in said branches whereby either hot or cold air oradmixture of the two may be admitted to the cylinder.

4. The combination with a malting-drum and a cylinder located centrallytherein and having closed ends, of an air trunk or main and branchestherefrom exterior to the drum and leading to the cylinder, valves insaid passages controlling the admission of air to the cylinder,and spraydevices in the branches for moistening the air passing through thelatter.

5. The combination with the drum and the cylinder therein and closed atboth ends, of a hot-air furnace, a main leading therefrom,

branches from the main, said branches being exterior to the drum andleading to each end of the cylinder, valves in the branches forcontrolling the admission of air to the cylinder, a hood in the furnaceand intercepting the products of combustion, and an air-forcingmechanism between the furnace and the cylinder.

6. The combination with the drum and the cylinder therein, of a hot-airsupply, a supplemental cold-air chamber and an air-forcing mechanism forforcing air therethrough, a main connecting with the supplementalchamber and branches from said main, said branches being exterior to thedrum and leading one to each end of the cylinder, and valves in saidbranches and in the hot-air supply whereby hot or cold airor anadmixture of the two may be admitted to the cylinder.

7. In a malting apparatus, the combination of the malting-drum withnarrow slits in its outer surface; a cylinder centrally within the drumand having narrow slits; and valvecontrolled hot and cold air trunks orpassages exterior to the drum and connecting with opposite ends of thecylinder whereby either hot ,or cold air or an admixture of the two maybe admitted to either or both ends of the cylinder, and means foragitating the malt in the drum.

8. In a malting apparatus, the combination of a foraminous malting-drumand a foraminous cylinder within the same; air purifying andattemperating passages exterior to the drum and communicating with bothends of the cylinder; valves in said passages and controlling theair-currents; and a stationary bar extending between opposite ends ofthe drum above the cylinder, and having fingers projecting downwardly tonear the surface of the cylinder, and adapted to effect a gentleseparation of the malt at substantially the point of least agitation.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

BERNARD BERG.

Witnesses:

L. H. NOURSE, CHAS. E. TowNsENn.

